Even more bizarrely, as the self-immolating "Little Gathering Sha Talisman" was blown away by the mountain wind, accompanied by a "creak," the temple gate, which a dozen or so Shenlong Temple monks preparing to flee had been unable to open, swung open on its own.
Master Puhui was clearly taken aback by how terrifying Chen Xiao's talismans were. Both shocked and proud, he instinctively straightened his back and said to Lin Meiqi with a triumphant air:
"Do you believe now that the reclusive master who injured Long Xiaolin is someone you cannot afford to offend? Take my advice, it's not too late to stop now, otherwise, both the Lin family and the Long family will be finished sooner or later."
With the threat of the Little Gathering Sha Talisman gone, Master Puhui paid no mind to Lin Meiqi. He walked into the temple on his own and personally hung the "Man Jiang Hong" in the Great Hero Hall, where incense smoke curled.
Instantly, all the other Little Gathering Sha Talismans posted on the dozen or so mountain gates connecting Shenlong Temple to the outside world ignited spontaneously and turned into ashes, vanishing into thin air.
Following this, the hundreds of monks, who had been dazed and listless under the influence of the Little Gathering Sha Talismans, regained their senses. They surged into the Great Hero Hall as if injected with adrenaline, prostrating themselves before the "Man Jiang Hong" hanging on the solemn Buddha statue, and chanting in unison:
"Amitabha—"
"This... this... this this this..."
Lin Meiqi, being a more skilled talisman master than Master Puhui, gradually replaced her arrogance with boundless shock. She finally realized the terrifying power of "Man Jiang Hong" and her knees buckled, causing her to involuntarily kneel before the Buddha:
"Master Puhui, I lost... I lost, and I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. The matter of Xiaolin being injured is now settled, and the Lin family will continue to unconditionally sponsor your temple. I only ask... I only ask that you give me the contact information of that talisman master. I... I wish to visit them in person to show my respect."
Master Puhui, having accepted favors, could not be too absolute:
"It's best if you can resolve this peacefully, but whether that master is willing to see you is not something I can decide. You should go back first!"
"You..."
Lin Meiqi hesitated to speak, then drove away from Shenlong Temple in a daze, her mind filled with imagining what the reclusive master who perfectly fused peerless talisman art with calligraphy looked like. She didn't realize her phone had rung seven or eight times until then.
Seeing the caller ID labeled "One-Eyed," she shivered and quickly answered, trembling, "Boss..."
A deep male voice came through the phone: "Shanzhi, go to Jinfang Pharmaceuticals for me immediately. Find an opportunity to secretly place two of the Little Gathering Sha Talismans I taught you, preferably in the production workshop. If I, Ye Tiezhu, cannot have something, no one else will!"
Lin Meiqi nodded subconsciously: "Okay... okay, I'll go now."
The male voice on the phone added: "By the way, Jinfang Pharmaceuticals happens to have a recruitment announcement. You can go there under the guise of applying. We are in China now, not like the international assassin world. Be careful with everything, and don't leave any traces. After this is over, I'll arrange your marriage with Qingtian."
With that, the call ended.
Lin Meiqi gave a bitter smile and murmured to herself:
"Boss, boss, although you are my savior and my master who taught me talisman art, but... but I don't want to marry your dissolute son, sigh!"
Although she had followed Ye Tiezhu in the assassin and mercenary world under the guise of studying abroad, she occasionally returned to China and knew how notorious Ye Qingtian was. How could she be willing to marry him?
However, the immediate priority was to complete the task assigned by Ye Tiezhu. She hurried back to the city to change clothes and soon transformed into an ordinary job seeker. She specifically took a bus to Jinfang Pharmaceuticals.
As one of the core members of the Grim Reaper, Ye Tiezhu's right-hand man, "One-Eyed," she understood the essence of disguise and identity change: before executing a mission, one must first adapt to the false identity. For an ordinary person in the city, the preferred mode of transportation when looking for a job was naturally the bus.
On the bus, she diligently reviewed the background information on Jinfang Pharmaceuticals and the current recruitment information sent by Ye Tiezhu on her phone.
At the same time, in the empty production workshop of Jinfang Pharmaceuticals, Chen Xiao, with the cooperation of Jin Yongping and Xia Qianqian, was preparing the "medicine guide" for mass-producing the Sumeru Mustard Paste.
Just like the base of the Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow Soup, to mass-produce the Sumeru Mustard Paste without the aid of the Wordless Golden Formula, Chen Xiao needed to prepare the medicine guide beforehand.
Moreover, the production process of the Sumeru Mustard Paste could not use modern pharmaceutical machinery and had to be purely manual. Jin Yongping and Xia Qianqian alone were not enough, so Chen Xiao chose to recruit.
Soon, Chen Xiao boiled all the relevant Chinese medicinal materials in Jinfang Pharmaceuticals' inventory into the medicine guide for the Sumeru Mustard Paste. He then wrote out the prescription for the Sumeru Mustard Paste and instructed Jin Yongping and Xia Qianqian to purchase the medicinal materials in bulk.
Xia Qianqian happily took the prescription, patting her chest confidently and assuring him: "Chen Xiao, don't worry. With Jinfang Pharmaceuticals' reputation built over many years in the Juxian City medicinal materials wholesale market, I can deliver the medicinal materials you need to our warehouse with quality and quantity by tomorrow at the latest!"
Jin Yongping, however, looked at the paste-like medicine guide in the sterilized container and worriedly said: "Chen Xiao, before a new drug is launched, not only do we need to apply for approval from the relevant departments, but more importantly, there's the issue of sales. You've just taken over Jinfang Pharmaceuticals and are making drastic changes to produce a new drug that has never appeared on the market. Even if the approval from the relevant departments comes through, if there are no sales, won't it be a loss? In my estimation, the Chinese medicinal materials you need to purchase will cost at least two hundred thousand!"
Chen Xiao did not want to attract too much attention, so he deliberately concealed the fact that this batch of Sumeru Mustard Paste was for the northern border army. He said with a mix of truth and falsehood: "Aunt Ping, this batch of Sumeru Mustard Paste has already been pre-ordered by a boss, and the approval from the relevant departments will definitely not be a problem. You and Qianqian can go ahead and do it!"
"Alright."
Seeing Chen Xiao's confidence, Jin Yongping finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still worried about Xia Qianqian contacting the Chinese medicinal material suppliers. Without thinking, she took the prescription from Xia Qianqian and said: "Qianqian, you stay here and continue to learn the production of Sumeru Mustard Paste from Chen Xiao. I'll handle the procurement of Chinese medicinal materials."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly received a call from "Lin Meiqi," who was using the alias Lin Qi, applying for a job.
After all, Chen Xiao was the new boss of Jinfang Pharmaceuticals. After hanging up, she quickly reported to Chen Xiao: "Chen Xiao, someone named Lin Qi has come for an interview. She claims to be a graduate with a degree in biopharmaceuticals from a prestigious university. I plan to interview her in the conference room. Do you want to join?"
Chen Xiao thought for a moment and said: "Just have her come here directly."